The most common degenerative-dystrophic disease of the spine is osteochondrosis. Its peculiarity is that it does not manifest itself in the initial stages, so many patients turn to the doctor when the processes of tissue destruction have already gone far. But even in this case, the diagnosis is not made immediately, but after a series of laboratory and instrumental examinations. It is very important to correctly diagnose osteochondrosis, because the earlier treatment begins, the greater the chance of avoiding complications. It is for this reason that you need to identify the symptoms of osteochondrosis in time and consult a doctor.
Causes and mechanism of development
Osteochondrosis begins with destructive processes in the intervertebral discs. They gradually dry up and decrease in volume. This leads to the fact that the disks can no longer perform their functions correctly. They can collapse, and then a hernia develops. But most often this condition leads to the development of osteochondrosis.
After all, the intervertebral disc protects the vertebrae from destruction, serves as a shock absorber during various movements and keeps the vertebrae in the right position. When its volume decreases, the vertebrae move. Instability of a vertebral segment leads to the formation of osteophytes - bony growths that hold the vertebrae apart. Otherwise, stretching of nerve roots and compression of blood vessels may occur. All these processes lead to the presence of many different signs of osteochondrosis, which is why its timely diagnosis is difficult. But if you know why this pathology develops, people at risk can be more careful.
Osteochondrosis is usually caused by the following reasons:
- Congenital disorders in the development of spine or connective tissue defects;
- injuries or constant overload, hard physical work;
- Bad posture, flat feet, wearing uncomfortable shoes;
- Being in an uncomfortable position for a long time, a sedentary lifestyle;
- obesity, poor nutrition, overweight;
- exposure to chemicals, for example, having bad habits, taking certain medications;
- frequent stress;
- natural processes that occur during the aging of the body;
- Effects of constant vibration on the spine.
Osteochondrosis develops after a decrease in the height of the intervertebral disc, after which the vertebrae themselves begin to collapse.
Therefore, it is necessary to carefully monitor your health in order to consult a doctor at the first symptoms. This is especially important for athletes, loaders, drivers, gymnasts, women who often take care of loved ones and experience stress because of this.
symptoms
Signs of osteochondrosis depend on the stage of the disease, as well as which part of the spine is affected by degenerative processes. Very often, at first the patient does not even feel back pain, only a little stiffness in the morning. Due to the movement of the vertebrae in the process of destruction of the intervertebral disc, the nerve roots are pinched and pain appears. Depending on the location of the disease, they can appear not only in the back area. Often the pain radiates to the shoulder blade, chest, arm or leg and may be a headache.
The peculiarity of osteochondrosis in the initial stages is that the pain increases with physical activity and decreases after rest. Even after taking a comfortable body position, the patient feels better. Painful sensations worsen after hypothermia, stress, long stay in a static position, for example, while working at a computer or sleeping on an uncomfortable bed. Very often during osteochondrosis there is stiffness of movements, muscle weakness and constant fatigue. The patient tries to take a comfortable position in which he feels less pain.
The main symptom of lumbar osteochondrosis is pain and stiffness in movement.
Symptoms of lumbar osteochondrosis
The most common location of degenerative-dystrophic processes is the lumbar spine. It withstands the heaviest loads not only when moving, but also when a person sits in one position for a long time. Due to the sedentary lifestyle of modern people, the muscular corset here is weak, so any overload can lead to the destruction of discs or displacement of the spine.
In addition to pain and general stiffness, special symptoms of osteochondrosis of the spine appear in the lumbar region. If the following symptoms are felt from time to time, you should make an appointment with a neurologist:
- The lower limbs become numb;
- Skin sensitivity is reduced, paresis may develop;
- pain is felt in the pelvic organs, their functioning is disturbed;
- The patient cannot turn or bend, the pain is felt even when sitting.
Symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis
It is especially important to know what symptoms the patient experiences during cervical osteochondrosis. After all, sometimes the pain in the neck is not even felt, and other symptoms are similar to vascular disorders, which a person tries to treat with drugs. If the destructive processes of the cervical spine are not stopped, it can lead to disruption of the blood supply to the brain and even complete paralysis of the body.
Therefore, it is very important to pay attention to the following signs in time:
- headaches that cannot be relieved by conventional analgesics;
- Vertigo appears when turning the head;
- pain is felt in the shoulders, back of the head, arms;
- vision deteriorates, spots or colored spots appear in front of the eyes;
- there is hearing loss, tinnitus;
- Tongue and fingers twitch;
- Coordination of movements is disturbed.
Headache and tinnitus are often observed during cervical osteochondrosis
Symptoms of thoracic osteochondrosis
Signs of osteochondrosis in the chest are easily confused with diseases of internal organs. And although the main symptom is back pain, it has its own characteristics. Patients describe this feeling as if a ring is holding the chest. The pain intensifies when inhaling and exhaling, so many attribute these sensations to heart pathologies.
In the case of thoracic osteochondrosis, the pain will increase with hypothermia, raising the hands, and also at night. You may experience numbness of the skin, gout and cold extremities. Disruption of the functioning of the digestive system often occurs.
diagnosis
To avoid the complications of osteochondrosis, it is very important to consult a doctor as soon as the first signs appear. This is stiffness of movement and back pain after exercise. This pathology is treated by a vertebrologist or a neurologist. An experienced doctor can make a preliminary diagnosis by examining and talking to the patient.
But some symptoms of the disease are very non-specific and resemble the manifestations of many other pathologies. Therefore, differential diagnosis is very important, which will help to exclude diseases in which vascular and neurological symptoms also develop. It can be angina, hypertension, peptic ulcer, pyelonephritis. The main difference between osteochondrosis and them is that it has a chronic course and develops slowly, with periodic exacerbations, and the pain most often disappears during rest.
But without special diagnostics, it is still difficult to make a correct diagnosis. Most often, instrumental examination methods are used for this: X-ray, CT, MRI, ultrasound, myelography and others. Sometimes you may also need lab tests. They will contribute to the existence of the inflammatory process and the increase in the concentration of calcium in the blood.
At the initial stage of the disease, the most common diagnostic method is radiography.
Radiography
X-ray diagnosis is needed to confirm the diagnosis at the initial stage. This is the main method of examining osteochondrosis. It is the simplest and most affordable and has the fewest side effects. After determining the location of the pain, photographs are taken of this area of the spine. They are usually performed in two projections: direct and lateral.
If the diagnosis is made correctly, the following X-ray signs indicate it: the distance between the vertebrae decreases, atrophy of the intervertebral discs is observed, osteophytes are visible, destruction of the vertebral tissue or a change in shape may occur. spinal column.
Myelography
This is a more complicated method, can have side effects and is not suitable for everyone. After all, myelography is based on the introduction of a special contrast liquid into the spinal canal. This can cause an allergic reaction or even damage to the spinal cord. After that, the spine is X-rayed.
This method allows you to examine the spinal canal and determine where it is damaged by degenerative processes. In addition, myelography can detect the presence of an intervertebral hernia at the initial stage.
MRI is a more informative examination method, so it is used when differential diagnosis is necessary.
Tomography
Diagnosis of osteochondrosis using CT or MRI is performed less often, because these methods are not yet available everywhere. Therefore, they are used in difficult cases, as well as if it is necessary to differentiate osteochondrosis from other diseases. But with a magnetic resonance imaging or CT scan, you can study the spine and surrounding tissues in detail.
These diagnostic methods allow you to see the condition of blood vessels, the presence of a hernia, compression of nerve roots and the shape of intervertebral discs. They are necessary for the differential diagnosis of osteochondrosis from osteomyelitis, spinal cord tumors, spondylitis, ankylosing spondylitis and syringomyelia.
Timely identification of the symptoms of osteochondrosis and its correct diagnosis will help to start treatment on time. This will prevent the development of complications, alleviate the patient's condition and reduce the number of exacerbations.